Ainesh Sewak: A Life Across Continents

I was born in India and my family is from Punjab, a region known for its Sikh warriors and responsible for producing around 75% of the country's bicycles. It is still where I draw a lot of my culture and background from. I grew up in Delhi before my path began to branch outward. When I was seven, we moved to Arizona, home to the Sonoran Desert, one of the wettest deserts in the world. It was not barren, but unexpectedly alive, green and full of character.

From there, my mother took a role at Cadbury in its birthplace, Birmingham. After a couple of years, we moved again, this time to Bangkok. Here, I encountered the story of the Golden Buddha, the world's heaviest golden statue. It was once hidden beneath clay to protect it from invaders, only rediscovered centuries later when pieces of the outer layer fell away. That story stayed with me. Travel, for me, has often felt like that process, slowly uncovering something more essential underneath.

Australia was the most defining chapter of my childhood, we moved there when I was 13. We were first in Caulfield, Melbourne, trading heat for four seasons in a day, before moving to the southeast suburbs to Glen Waverley. I later studied at the Australian National University in Canberra, followed by work in Sydney in an analytics consulting firm (before data science was cool). My urge to travel was very much still with me and I decided to join a startup in Los Angeles. 

However, soon I realized I wanted to step away from corporate life and return to academia. I had always been drawn to the mountains, so Switzerland felt like a natural choice. I completed my Master’s in Computational Biology and Bioinformatics at ETH Zurich, followed by a PhD in Biostatistics under Prof. Dr. Torsten Hothorn. My research focused on evaluating diagnostic and prognostic tests. Specifically, on developing statistical methodology that works in observational settings. It was an intense and rewarding period: long nights working through math but amazing sunlit Limmat swims to reset.

I now work as a biostatistician at the Department of Clinical Research at the University of Bern, designing and analyzing clinical trials. The problems are complex, making work challenging but fun. I am using all my experience to work towards a simple goal: to contribute to better evidence in medicine. The best thing about my job is the people. We work closely with clinicians and researchers to turn clinical questions into rigorous trials. And the swims have still stayed with me, just now in the Aare.

As for what comes next, I am not entirely sure. I do find myself missing Australia, the trees, the wildlife, the beaches. But if there is a common thread to my story, it's that the world has never felt like a collection of separate places, but rather a continuous landscape to explore.

A shameless plug, if you ever need statistics help, don't hesitate to reach out, I am your guy.

You can reach out and get in touch with Ainesh via his LinkedIn profile.

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